Matthew 18:6
Verse 6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
We continue our talk from yesterday and move up the age scale to those crazy teen years. Many may feel awkward around young people of this age because they don’t know what to say. With the littles of our members it is easier to come up with a topic to talk with them about and if we can’t think of one there is always the topic of cookies to pique their interest, but teenagers are a different story, cookie conversations will crumble quickly, pun intended.
The thing which can make them awkward to talk to is the very thing which can make them easy to talk to if we accept the challenge of getting to know them. We may not fully understand their lingo or have a clear grasp on what they are into, but they are in a time in life where they want to be noticed and if we don’t take notice of them and make them feel seen, they will seek that elsewhere.
If you remember from our time together yesterday, we made a vow to God and them when these young people were baptized and when they made profession of faith and it is important that we keep those vows we made. Unlike the youngest members of the congregation there are more ways to show a teenager you care than simply learning their names.
Many teens are involved in sports, band, choir, robotics or various other extra-curricular activities which they like to talk about. Those activities can be more than just a topic of conversation though. Going to their games, concerts or tournaments are a great way to show you care about them as individuals. If they aren’t involved in any of those activities it could be because they have jobs which keep them busy when they aren’t in school. If we learn about their work we may find more about them and their dreams of the future.
It’s a big concern in churches across the nation that when kids go off to college they often stop coming to church and it isn’t always because they move out of the area. If we aren’t building relationships with them now, we may lose the chance of having one with them in the future. Solid friendly relationships are a way we can show the love of Christ and may help them want a relationship with God and His Church family as they grow into adulthood.
Making It Personal
Who made a difference in your life as a teen? How many of the teens of the church do you interact with? What can you do to show the teens you love them?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you know any of the bigger kids at church? Would you consider any of them your friends? What could you do to show them you care?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for teens who remind us what it was like to grow from childhood to adult. Give us wisdom and a desire to build relationships with them. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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